


Palomita

by What_we_are



Category: Breaking Bad
Genre: Babies, Cute Kids, Double Life, Fluff, Gen, Playgrounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 23:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3400220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/What_we_are/pseuds/What_we_are
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second time they meet, Mike gets to hold Holly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Palomita

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SegaBarrett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SegaBarrett/gifts).



There was a woman sitting on his regular bench. She had dark hair and was holding a baby on her lap.

“There's somebody in your seat Pop Pop."

The woman heard Kaylee, and turned to see them coming up the sidewalk behind her. She gave Kaylee a smile.

“May I?” Mike asked.

“Of course.”

Kaylee ran off before Mike had even sat down and gotten out his newspaper. Not that he could blame her. Her school was all tests and reading points, without any hopscotch or double dutch. They weren't even allowed to play tag. Hell in a hand basket. At least she was here now, getting to be a kid for a little while. 

The woman introduced herself as Kelly. 

He answered, “Mike,” while distracted by Kaylee dangling upside down from the bar. He thought the pose suited her chimpanzee ears, though he’d never say so out loud. Oh, the woman was still talking. 

“ . . . Esmeralda. I wanted to name her Emerald, but my husband put his foot down. He said it sounded too much like Emeril – the celebrity chief. I don’t think that guy will still be famous by the time she goes to school, but whatever. I thought it would been fun if we both had green names.”

Mike let his confusion show.

She explained, “Kelly green, emerald green.” 

The baby was adorable. It was worth the small talk.

“My sister said, ‘Why not go all the way and call her Chartreuse?’”

“Esmeralda’s better,” Mike agreed. 

“Esmeralda Marie Bell. Bell is my married name. My husband is out of town a lot. He’s a deep sea diver. Some of his photographs have been in National Geographic.” 

“Is that so?”

He didn't care to call her on it. It wasn't a trick, it was a compulsion. Good lies are simple things that people already assume. Bad lies are flashy and detailed. He'd bet she wasn't the child's mother, but she wasn't a kidnapper either. She struck him as a relative or babysitter. 

She asked, “Is it usually this crowded here?” 

There were big kids with their balls and Frisbees flying everywhere, dogs, moms, strollers, and passers-by.

“Yeah. We go over to Aztec sometimes. My granddaughter prefers this one even though it's smaller.”

“I brought a blanket. I was going to let the baby roll around, but it’s just too crazy, too many people.”

He smiled. “She looks plenty happy where she’s at. It looks like she’s watching the swings.”

Marie twisted to see the baby’s face. She laughed at Holly’s determined expression. “Give it a few months, honey. You'll be ready for the baby swings soon enough.” 

Kaylee came up holding her headband and looking put out. She handed it to Mike. 

He put it back on her and she winced. “Oww.”

“Sorry.” He moved the pinchy parts back from behind her ears. “Hmm. I think you've been reading too many books. Your brain has grown and now your head is too big for this thing.”

“When it’s back it falls off.” Kaylee shook her head wildly to demonstrate. “I can’t do flips like this. Do you have a rubber band?”

Kelly interjected, “I have a barrette you can have. Sometimes I can’t resist picking things up for Esmeralda to grow into.” 

They all looked at the baby’s fuzzy head. Kelly rummaged through her diaper bag, one handed, and produced a frilly pink thing still on its original card from the store. 

It was ridiculously large. Mike was a bit surprised to see Kaylee’s eyes light up like they did. 

The woman offered, “Would you like me to put it in for you? I have a comb. We could get the front part of your hair out of the way.” 

Kaylee looked to Mike for permission. He gave her a slow nod.

Kaylee nodded to Kelly with enthusiasm. 

Mike was amused by the woman’s indecision how to proceed from there. She couldn't help Kaylee and hold the baby at the same time. He didn't feel he could offer to hold the baby, though he hoped Kelly would come to that solution on her own. The simple math was one for one -- she would have his little girl as collateral the whole time he had hers. Or maybe she wasn't that calculating. Maybe she was a normal person who didn't constantly anticipate violence. 

“Could . . . could you hold her?”

“Of course.”

“Would you mind using the hand sanitizer first?” She fished it out of the outside diaper bag pocket and handed it to him. 

He took some and kept rubbing until the germ goo had evaporated. 

The baby looked away from the swings and studied his face. It seemed like she had heard and understood the plan. She looked familiar. 

Kelly explained to the baby, “Esmeralda, this nice man is going to hold you for a second. Is that okay?”

_Nice man._

These were clean clothes at least. Absolutely no chance of blood on the cuffs. Ketchup would be an easy explanation, but why even risk Kaylee ever seeing that? Even when he was sure he hadn't gotten dirty, he changed clothes before he saw her. He scrubbed under his nails, even if he’d worn gloves. He always double checked his trunk before he went to pick her up. 

The baby gestured towards Mike. She lunged and squeaked. 

Kaylee laughed. “She likes him. She probably thinks he’s her grandpa too.” 

Mike put his hands under the little cutie’s arms and placed her feet on his lap. He couldn't help chuckling. The baby fussed a bit and Kelly handed her a stuffed animal. 

Esmeralda immediately put the stuffed unicorn’s horn in her mouth. 

Holy shit. He did know this kid. Wouldn't that just send Walter around the bend, once and for all, if he could see them now? His daughter didn't look a thing like him. She was beautiful. She was at that perfect age, just learning how to laugh.

Kaylee interrupted his baby trance. “Does it look good?” 

He nodded because all you can do in that situation is nod. 

She thanked Kelly and ran off to play. Kelly didn't immediately ask for the baby back. Esmeralda was happy practicing her standing. If she were his, he would have loosened his grasp and let her do more of the work keeping her balance. As it was, he held her very responsibly. When she offered him the stuffed animal to suck on, he declined with a polite shake of his head. 

"She's our miracle baby. The doctors didn't think I'd be able to conceive after my battle with ovarian cancer."

Mike played along. "Do you think you'll have any more?"

"My husband wants six. Can you believe it?"

"No. I can't." 

Kelly wasn't put off my his deadpan reply. She elaborated on the pros and cons of having a big family. Meanwhile, Mike made the baby laugh with the same faces that used to work on his granddaughter. He asked enough questions to keep Kelly going. 

Kaylee climbed a tree near them. She called down, "Do we have to go soon?"

"No." Mike answered at normal volume. "You're having dinner with me tonight. We can stay till we get hungry."

"Good."

Mike and Kelly discussed local restaurants, and, of course, how sweet and angelic the baby was. 

Holly slobbered on her fist and squeaked. She looked over towards Kaylee in the tree. She stared at the man and the woman. She looked at her hand like she'd forgotten it was there. Her eyelids got droopy and she slumped to her knees, coming to a folded up position that only babies can find comfortable. She let her unicorn drop and nuzzled into Mike. As the afternoon turned to early evening, the second cutest little girl he’d ever met fell asleep against his chest.

  


*


End file.
